The Sacrifice
by Azrieal-Alicia
Summary: *Squinoa* Rinoa and the others go on a quest to find Squall and learn of a dark secret that threatens the world. Updated Chapter's 1 and 2
1. Lost

Notes: I'm not sure when Brian actually wrote this, but it more than likely just after the game was released. I don't know why he never published it, but I think it is very good for being one of the first things he ever wrote. I hope that you enjoy it.

Alicia

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Chapter One: Lost

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Quistis Trepe looked out at the Training Center grounds from the balcony. She had been here numerous times. Come to the secret area to get away from the life of being a SeeD Instructor. But this was the first time she was able to summon the courage to actually come here since Squall disappeared. She tried not to think about him, his blue-gray eyes. The rustle of his feathered hair, his boyish good looks, he was charming in his own self-loathing way. She missed him; there was no denying that. For a time she believed that she loved him, that she desired him. Maybe there was a small part of her that still did, but the pain was not from that part of her. It was from the side of her that missed her friend. The man who had saved her life more times then she cared to count. He had saved them all, they were a team of course, but Squall was the glue, he kept them focused even when he seemed to lose his patience. So many times he accomplished the impossible. Many of the younger students had started the rumor that he was immortal, invincible. It was they who gave him the nickname of "The Lionheart". He fought with such strength and courage that he was nearly unmatched in battle. Quistis knew the truth though. She knew that he was _not_ immortal, that he could bleed, and that he could even die.

She longed for the days when the GF's suppressed their memories, unfortunately for her, that problem had been solved. Dr. Odine had discovered a way to junction a Guardian Force to its summoner without risking loss of memory. In fact it had opened a new way to communicate with the GF, in essence the summoner and the GF became one. It allowed the summoner greater access to a GF's abilities, they became faster, stronger, and in some cases smarter. It was this discovery that prompted Squall to go on his quest. The other GF's revealed that Griever was indeed a Guardian Force. Griever was lost, imprisoned in some alien artifact. Put there by the mad Sorceress Ultimecia. In their final battle with Ultimecia she used her power to create a twisted, evil version of the great Guardian Force, and used it against them. They overcame that monstrosity and eventually defeated Ultimecia. All that seemed like a lifetime ago now.

_"You are thinking too much child,"_ the GF Shiva spoke to her from within. _"Have no fear; 'The Lionheart' is strong. He will return."_ Shiva said reassuringly.

Quistis smiled to herself, Shiva had been joined to her since Squall's disappearance. They had become fond of each other, "Part of me wishes that were true Shiva, but I just don't know anymore. It's been nearly a year, and we have had no word from him."

"Yes I know, but he has Bahamut with him. We would know if one of our own was…dead. I cannot sense them, but that could only mean that they are far from us."

Quistis lowered her head and sighed, "I was afraid of that, for all we know he could be on the freaking moon!"

Her conversation with Shiva was cut short as Zell appeared in the doorway, a distraught look on his face, "W-What's wrong Zell?" her voice full of concern.

The Garden's martial arts expert only shook his head, his eyes full of tears. "T-They found the Fenris, Quisty."

Quistis's knees began to tremble, all her fears and doubts washed over her like a tidal wave. She dropped to the floor, her hands covering her face, "Oh no."

************************

Rinoa Leonhart sat behind her big mahogany desk, staring out the window of her office. She had been doing a lot of daydreaming lately. Mostly reminiscing about her husband Squall. She longed for him to return from his quest. She understood why he went alone on this journey; it was something he had to do. Squall had told her stories of the great GF Griever and all the good it had accomplished back when the world was young. It was the first of the Guardian Forces to reveal itself to humans. Griever was his childhood hero, his release from the loneliness of being without Ellone. She understood all that, but it didn't mean she had to accept it.

Nearly a year had passed since he left. There had been no contact with him since then either. Sometimes, when she was alone in bed, close to falling asleep, she would see him in her mind. He was alone and hurt. Walking across a wasteland, no food or water, nothing to protect him. She was seeing this vision a lot more recently, each time it made her cry, uncontrollable weeping. It was based on these visions that Headmaster Cid ordered a search for Squall, every SeeD around the world had volunteered to help bring the Lionheart home. Even Seifer Almasy had joined the cause, spending many weeks aboard a SeeD A.A.V. (amphibious attack vehicle) looking for his old friend and rival. She had come to trust Seifer; he would never replace Squall that she knew for sure. But he did offer her support and that was something that she needed.

"Rinoa," the voice said from the other side of the door.

Rinoa sat up and her chair, tugging at her uniform to make it look proper, "Come in Seifer."

Seifer opened the door, she looked at him, his face was flustered, his eyes bloodshot. Had he been crying? She thought to herself. "Seifer, are you ok?" she asked hesitantly.

He approached her desk, looking tired and weary. "Rinoa," he stammered. "They, umm… they've found the Fenris." He said finally.

Those words, she had long hoped that they would be spoken to her, telling her that Squall had finally come home. But his appearance and they way he spoke the words chilled her to the bone. No, she thought, this can't be true. A plethora of emotions hit Rinoa all at once. Dread, fear, anger, loss. Seifer did not have to say anything else. She knew what he was going to say. She laid her head on the desk and began to cry.

"No, Hyne please tell me he's not dead. Please Seifer, tell me he's alive!" she cried, knowing that Seifer could not tell her that.

Seifer lowered his head; it pained him to see her this way. They had all been through so much. Squall had entrusted Rinoa to his care, they had come to terms with what happened between them. Once again becoming the friends they were in their childhood, before Garden, before his dream.

"I, umm, I'm sorry Rinoa. The ship was discovered off the coast of the Centra continent. The ship was buried in an underwater reef. It had been severely damaged." Seifer stated, bracing himself for what he was about to say next. "They searched the ship Rinoa, they found his gunblade. It was broken; somehow the Lionheart had been broken. There were signs of a struggle, large amounts of blood, even some, umm, body parts. They were indescribable, it looks as if whatever he, uhh, fought overwhelmed him. His body was not aboard the ship. They tested the blood Rinoa, some of it was Squall's..."

Rinoa continued to cry, her tears creating a small pool on the desktop next to her. She was unable to completely process Seifer's words. Her love, her husband was gone. The man that had risked everything to free her from Adel, from Ultimecia, was gone. Squall was her life, and now he was gone.

Seifer stared at her for a few moments, wondering what she must be feeling. He wanted so much to go to her, to comfort her. But he knew it was best right now to let her have time, to work through her grief. Her husband was dead; her soul mate was viscously and remorselessly taken away from her. Rage began to take hold of Seifer, a rage that took him by surprise. He knew that if any two people had deserved to be happy it was Rinoa and Squall, and he would not rest until he had found the monster that had robbed them of that happiness, and end its miserable existence.

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Seifer turned and walked out of the room, leaving Rinoa to sort through her pain. He walked to the elevator, a new purpose rising within him. He passed Zell and Quistis in the hallway, both were crying. He wanted to stop and give them his condolences but he knew it wouldn't make the pain go away. Nothing would ever make the pain go away. Seifer continued on his way, fighting back tears of his own. He remembered when Squall had spared his life after the battle with Ultimecia, allowing him safe passage to Fisherman's Horizon, to live his life in peace. Squall must have known that would never be possible. Seifer was a warrior-born, just like Squall. A year later he returned to Garden, hoping to rejoin SeeD, to make a difference in the world. To help repair what he had destroyed. Squall welcomed him back with open arms, helped him train and study for the exam, surprisingly he passed and had become a member of SeeD. Squall brought him into his unit, much to the chagrin of his other comrades. Squall eventually helped smooth that over as well. Now it was his turn, even though he wanted so much to go back in time and be there with Squall at the time this terrible attack occurred, to help him, he knew that was impossible, but maybe he could be there for Rinoa and the others. Help them deal with the pain and the loss, and maybe they could help him deal with his.

TBC...


	2. Remembrance

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Chapter Two: Remembrance

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The Ragnarok soared through the sky, free as a bird, resembling a powerful dragon, named for the end of the world; it was an amazing piece of machinery Selphie thought to herself. She would often come here to get away from things, to relax. It brought her peace. Now she needed that peace more then ever. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as she remembered her friend, her brother. Her first recent memories of him were back at Balamb Garden, when she ran into him in the hall trying to make it her first class after transferring from Trabia Garden. She smiled as she visualized herself bouncing off him as she smacked into him. She liked him from the beginning; he showed her around the Garden, even joined the Garden Festival Committee, although he never really did anything to help in that area.

The most important thing he did for her was trusting her. He trusted her to complete the mission at the missile base, helping the Garden avert a missile attack. She giggled to herself, remembering the look on his face when Quistis, Zell and herself crawled out of that Galbadian tank in FH. He was actually happy to see that they were safe.

Selphie wiped the tears from her eyes, laughing in spite of herself, "Damn you Squall, why did you have to go and make us love you?"

In the last 4 years, her and Squall had become closer. They were more then friends, they were family. She wanted so much to have that back, that feeling of family. Now it was gone, one of their pack was gone. The one everyone looked up to and relied on. He put everything on the line to save them. To bring them home again.

"I miss you Squall." She quietly to herself, "I-I hope that you didn't suffer. Please Hyne, let him have died peacefully. H-He deserved atleast that much."

************************

Irvine emptied two more rounds of pulse ammo into the T-Rexuar, he smiled as the powerful slugs tore through the creatures chest, causing massive internal bleeding. The huge beast lurched backwards a step then fell on its side, dead before it hit the ground.

"Weak." Irvine mumbled to himself, reloading his weapon.

"Yes very weak," the voice behind him said. "You know cowboy, you really should work on your aim."

Irvine shook his head, laughing, "Seifer, I've known you for a long time, and **you** have never been known to shoot straight. So, I'm thinking that I won't be taking that advice."

Seifer laughed at Irvine's snappy retort, pulling his gunblade from its sheath and swinging it around, warming himself up, "No I haven't Irvine, that's because I prefer to do my killing in person. I like to look into their eyes as I take its life."

Irvine stared at the blonde gunblade master, pondering what he had said, "That's a bit cold don't you think?"

Seifer shook his head, "Not at all Irvine, I have come to learn that if you have to kill something then it's best to look it in the eyes, that way you know what you are taking. The eyes, remember that cowboy. The eyes hold everything, they hold secrets, sometimes treasure, but most of all the meaning of life."

Irvine put his hands on his hips smirking, "And who taught you that Seifer?"

Seifer stopped the motion of his gunblade in mid stride, "Squall." He answered quietly. "He actually taught me a lot about myself. He once told me that we all have a purpose in life, sometimes it's not what we want, but that can't be controlled. Fate leads us each down a path. We have the choice on whether or not we take it, but it doesn't really matter, because some way or another fate finds you again. Eventually you have to take the path fate gives you, because there won't be any other options left."

Irvine lowered his head, small tears swelling in his eyes, "I-I miss him you know? He was always there."

Seifer slowly walked over him, and placed a supporting hand on Irvine's shoulder, "You tell anyone I said this and I will kick your ass, but, I miss him too."

Irvine had never really gotten along with Seifer, even back when they were at Edea's orphanage. But here and now, he found himself not only respecting the man for his skills, but also respecting the man.

"Thanks, Seifer." Irvine said, choking back more tears. "Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened had we been there with him. You know when…" he trailed off, unable to say what he never wanted to truly admit. That Squall was gone.

Seifer looked at his friend, truly feeling his pain. Wanting so much to have been there for Squall when he needed his friends the most. He hoped that he never had to die alone; there was nothing worse then that. "I know, Irvine. I wish I were there for him too. I really do."

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Zell liked the feeling of punching someone. It made him feel good. To actually feel another mans face buckle under the force of his fists. He never fought without cause, there always had to be a reason, and only as a last resort. That was one of the many things Squall had taught him. Zell caught this man trying to steal his neighbor's property, the man wouldn't give up, no matter how much Zell tried to talk him into it. So Zell was placed into a situation were talking and rationalizing did not work. He liked that kind of situation.

The thief went down hard, his nose and lips bleeding, but that didn't deter the man from getting up and charging at Zell. The dude has guts, Zell thought to himself. He absorbed the impact of the charge, grabbed the man by the back of his pants and threw him across the yard that they had stumbled in to. His GF Pandemona granted Zell superhuman strength and speed, which he used to his full advantage. Crossing the distance of the yard in just two giant steps, he lunged at the man with his fist, the blow catching the man in the forehead, sending him careening back into a garbage can. The man was out cold; Zell checked the man's pulse to be sure he was still alive. Satisfied that the man was still alive he walked back to his parent's house.

"You get him Zell?" his mom asked as he entered the house.

"Yeah 'ma, got him good." Zell responded.

His mother looked upon him with those eyes, the eyes of a mother who cared deeply about her child. She knew her son was troubled, and she knew why he felt that way. His best friend had died. The young man named Squall Leonhart who had taken care of her son during the Second Sorceress War. She was indebted to Squall for helping her son grow into the man he had become. Now it was a debt that could never be repaid.

She patted the seat next to her, "Come sit with me Zell. We can talk about it."

Zell waddled over to the couch and plopped down next to his mother. He knew what she wanted to talk about.

"You miss him don't you Zell?" she asked the question already knowing the answer, but she wanted to hear her son say it.

"Yeah, I miss him 'ma. I miss him a lot." Zell said reluctantly. "There is a hole in my life, in all of our lives where he used to be."

His mother put her arms around her sons shoulders, "I know son. I feel your pain, losing someone you care about is one the most horrific and tragic things in life. But, life is also about moving on, remembering what that person gave to you, how they changed you. Squall was there for all of you, risking his life, giving his blood, his heart and soul to see that all of you made it back home. That is what you must remember, that he did what he had to do, for his friends."

Zell smiled, thinking of all the times he had tried to shake Squall's hand when they had first met. It was after they had all survived the final battle with Ultimecia, Squall walked up to him and extended his hand, giving Zell what he had wanted since they met the day of the SeeD exam. He remembered putting his hand out, only to have Squall pull his back quickly, smiling at Zell, he then wrapped his arms around him in a huge bear hug, not as a comrade, or even a friend…but as a brother.

He remembered at the prison, Squall leaping down 2 levels, gunblade swinging high, putting his own life in danger, just to save his. He trusted Squall more then anyone, they had bonded, went to sports games together, worked out in the training area together, he even taught Zell the basics of using the gunblade.

His mother stared at him, knowing her son was remembering his friend. "There you go, Zell. Remember him, utilize what he taught you, and never make all his sacrifices meaningless. That, will keep him alive in here," she said pointing her finger at his chest, "Go on with life son, keep learning, but never, never forget."

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"Do you want some tea dear?" Edea asked Rinoa, who was standing in front of the flower field, looking for her past, hoping that a promise made a long time ago, could still somehow be kept today. Rinoa turned her head slightly, not wanting Edea to see the tears that had formed in her dark eyes. "No thank you, I'm fine."

Edea had come to love Rinoa very much, after all that had happened to them, she thought of Rinoa as one of her children. "He always loved the flower field. When he was a child he would spend hours running through it, picking a flower for me each day. He was the sweetest boy, so strong yet so alone. If Cid and I had ever had a son, I hoped he would have been just like Squall."

Rinoa smiled, "He used to bring me flowers from this field every week, he would say 'This is my promise to you, everyday I will be right here, you will never be alone, because like these flowers, I will be right here for you.'"

Edea smiled inwardly at the thought of Squall coming all the way out here just to pick flowers, "He loved you so much Rinoa. It's quite a trip here from the Garden."

"I know, that's what made it so sweet. Everyday, in one way or another he showed me how much he loved me. I have never felt love like that before Edea. I know that I will never feel it again."

Edea frowned, lost in her emotions. She had lost a son, a child that meant the world to her. "Rinoa, the love you shared with Squall is true love. It is something that occurs only once in a dozen lifetimes, you helped him conquer his fears, he helped you find peace. That is not the sort of love that ever goes away. Wars and nations will come and go with the passing of time, but true love is eternal. Nothing can ever break that Rinoa, not even death."

Rinoa turned to face the Matron, tears rolling off her chin and unto her blouse, "Then why do I feel so empty? Why is there this hole in my heart? Squall is my Knight, he is a part of me, and now he is gone, taken away from me. Before…before we could truly have a life together. Hyne, he was every breath I took, every laugh, every time we made love, the joy, every moment with him felt like the world didn't matter, we were together, we were one."

Edea embraced the young sorceress, tears sliding down her cheeks, "You are lost Rinoa, but love will find you again. Squall's love will once again find you, maybe not in this life, but surely in another. He will find you Rinoa, of that I am sure."

Rinoa continued to cry, hoping that Edea's words would come to pass. "Then I will wait for him."

TBC...


End file.
